Hosta plant named ‘Wheee!’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Hosta  plant named ‘Wheee!’ characterized by light lavender flowers on strong erect scapes over broadly horizontal mounds of intensely-sinuate elliptic leaves having yellow margins, leaf blade centers of light green. Hosta ‘Wheee!’ emerges in the spring with distinct, broad, intensely-sinuate bracts or intermediate leaves partially clasping and surrounding emerging shoots, petioles and expanding leaves.

Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid (Tratt.)

Variety denomination: ‘Wheee!’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Hosta plant, Hosta‘Wheee!’ hereinafter also referred to with just the cultivar name,‘Wheee!’. Hosta ‘Wheee!’ was discovered by William J. Meyer in thesummer of 2004 at an unknown nursery in the New England area. ‘Wheee!’is an uninduced whole plant mutation of an unknown Hosta. The new planthas been asexually propagated by division at the garden in Woodbury,Conn., August of 2007 with all resultant asexually propagated plantshaving retained all the same traits as the original plant ‘Wheee!’ isstable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexualreproduction.

There are over 4,500 registered Hostas with The American Hosta Society,which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genusHosta. The most similar Hosta cultivars known to the applicant are:Hosta ‘Praying Hands’ (not patented), Hosta ‘Leola Fraim’ (notpatented), Hosta ‘Honeysong’ (not patented), Hosta ‘Pineapple Punch’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,318. ‘Praying Hands’ is much more upright inhabit, has narrower conduplicate foliage and darker flowers than‘Wheee!’, but with sinuate foliage. ‘Leola Fraim’, ‘Honeysong’ and‘Praying Hands’ all have similar yellow margins to the foliage, but both‘Leola Fraim’, ‘Honeysong’ have flat leaves compared to the sinuatefoliage of ‘Wheee!’. The undulation of Hosta ‘Pineapple Punch’ is muchfiner and mainly on the margin compared to the coarse undulations of‘Wheee!’ that goes throughout the leaf blade. ‘Pineapple Punch’ also hasa much narrower leaf blade with more acute apex, taller scapes anddarker lavender flowers. Hosta ‘Wheee!’ is the only plant known to theinventor with broad persistent bracts or intermediate leaves partiallyclasping and surrounding the emerging shoots that reflex or bend away ina wavy sinuate form.

Hosta ‘Wheee!’ differs from all other Hostas known to the applicant, bythe combination of the following traits.

-   -   1. Intensely and coarsely sinuate leaf blades.    -   2. Elliptic leaves with yellow margins and light green center.    -   3. Light lavender buds opening to white flowers beginning in        early July.    -   4. Broad persistent bracts or intermediate leaves partially        clasping and surrounding emerging leaves intensely sinuate and        not adpressed to shoots.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of a two-year old plant in the landscape as itis emerging in the spring in Woodbury, Conn.

FIG. 2 shows a landscape use of a three-year old plant in mid season inWoodbury, Conn.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on The 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Wheee!’, has notbeen observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may varyslightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature,light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any changein the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are ofa potted three-year old plant in a shaded greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich.with and supplemental water and fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta×hybrid.-   Parentage: Mutation of unknown origin.-   Propagation: Garden division and sterile plant tissue culture.-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two to three    weeks.-   Growth rate: Moderate.-   Crop time: About 10 to 12 weeks to finish during the summer in a    one-liter container from rooted tissue culture plantlet.-   Rooting habit: Fleshy, lightly branching.-   Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal rosette    of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing a symmetrical mound of    broadly horizontal leaves.-   Plant size: Foliage height about 28 cm tall from soil line to the    top of the leaves and about 75 cm wide at the widest point just    above soil line.-   Foliage description: Entire, glabrous, glaucous, elliptical, acute    leaf apex with broadly attenuate base; coarsely sinuate; 25 to 32 cm    long and 5.0 to 7.0 cm wide, average 29 cm long and 6.0 cm wide.-   Bracts surrounding emerging shoot: Elliptic to ovate, with acute to    rounded apex and base below ground; smaller outer bracts becoming    papery and drying by about mid season; inner bracts persistent,    intensely-sinuate, not adpressed to expanding shoots, leaves and    petioles partially clasping and surrounding shoots, petioles and    expanding leaves; varying in size with more inner bracts larger    becoming more leaf-like, intensely reflexed or bent away toward the    apex in a wavy sinuate form; with largest about 10 cm long and 3 cm    wide and smallest about 4 cm long and 1 cm wide; coloration with    variegation identical to that of leaves.-   Leaf blades: Simple, entire, sinuate; bi-laterally symmetrical;    glabrous and dull matte surface on top, glabrous and glaucous below;    variegation pattern characteristically variable with the margin    between 0.2 cm to 2.0 cm wide, generally wider with more maturity    and wider at that apex and narrower at the center and base, with    some jetting of margin or center color into the edge or center and    intermediate colors between the leaf center and margin more    pronounced at the apical on third of leaf.-   Leaf blade color: Early season shortly after emergence adaxial (top)    center color closest to RHS 137D; early season adaxial margin    nearest RHS 144A; early season abaxial (underside) center nearest    RHS N138B; early season abaxial margin nearest RHS 146D; Mid-season    and later summer adaxial centers nearest RHS 137C; mid-season and    later adaxial margins nearest RHS 11C; mid-season and later abaxial    center nearest RHS N138C; mid-season and later abaxial margins    nearest RHS 158D; intermediate colors where adaxial margin and    center unevenly and irregularly fold over each other of lighter than    RHS N138C, nearest RHS 148D, lighter than RHS 148D and between RHS    151B and RHS 150B; irregular intermediate abaxial colors of nearest    RHS 139D, nearest RHS 145D, nearest RHS 145C and between RHS 191C    and RHS 191D.-   Petiole: Entire, glabrous concavo-convex; mostly straight from base    of plant to leaf base with little bending or curving, stiff; 14 to    17 cm long and 8 to 12 mm wide at base, average about 16 cm long and    10 mm wide.-   Petiole color: Adaxial centers nearest RHS 137C; adaxial margins    nearest RHS 11C; abaxial center nearest RHS N138C; abaxial margins    nearest RHS 158D.-   Veins: Parallel, raised on abaxial side, normally 9 pair.-   Veins color: Adaxial and abaxial veins the same color as the    surrounding tissue.-   Flower description:    -   -   Buds two to three days prior to opening.—Globose apex about            1.4 cm in diameter with base narrowing at about mid-length            to about 0.4 cm diameter; about 5.5 cm long.        -   Bud color.—Light lavender lighter than RHS 84D.        -   Flowers.—Perfect; funnelform; 4.5 to 5.0 cm wide and 6.0 to            6.5 cm long, (distal flowers smaller), persists for a normal            period, usually one day on plant or as cut flower; scapes            remain effective with flowers from early to late July with            28 to 37 flowers per scape; no detectable fragrance.        -   Tepal.—Two sets of three, glabrous, entire; fused at base;            clavate with acute apex; each approximately 6.0 cm long and            the inner set 1.6 cm wide and outer set 1.4 cm wide.        -   Tepal color.—Coloring of both sets identical, light lavender            inside and out nearest RHS 84D, slightly lighter on the            margins.        -   Tepal veins.—Three main veins, indistinct; vein color the            same color as surrounding tissue on both outer and inner            surfaces.        -   Gynoecium.—Style: single, approximately 7.0 cm long, 1 mm            diameter, curled upward sharply to about 90 degrees in the            distal 1.5 cm; lighter than RHS 155D; Stigma: globose, about            2 mm in diameter, between RHS 155D and RHS 157D.        -   Androecium.—Filaments: six, approximately 5.0 cm long and            less than 1 mm in diameter; curved upward to nearly 90            degrees in the apical 1.0 cm; lighter than RHS 155D;            Anthers: 4 to 5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, dorsifixed, dehiscent            longitudinally; between RHS N187C and RHS N187D. Pollen:            elliptic, less than 0.1 mm long, closest to RHS 14C.        -   Peduncle.—Usually one per mature division; glaucous,            glabrous; nearly vertical to slightly bent; 85 to 90 degrees            from horizontal, more horizontal with more single            directional lighting; 90 to 100 cm tall, and up to 10 mm in            diameter at base; nearest RHS 138B in the lower portion and            nearest RHS 138D in the upper portion.        -   Pedicel.—Approximately 15 mm long, 2 mm wide; nearest RHS            N138D with the distal portion slightly tinted with nearest            RHS N77D.        -   Scape bracts.—Each flower usually subtended by a single            bract, decreasing in size distally with one or two below            first flowers; those bracts subtending flowers protruding at            nearly a 90 degree angle from scape; concaved supporting            flower bud; lowest bracts resembling sessile leaves with            largest 3.05 cm long 1.0 cm wide and smallest bracts 1.0 cm            long and about 0.5 cm wide; with variegated margins            resembling leaves of about 1.0 to 3.0 mm wide.        -   Scape bract color.—Adaxial center nearest RHS 144A, adaxial            margin nearest RHS 11C; abaxial centers between RHS 138A and            RHS 138B, abaxial margins nearest RHS 11C.-   Fruit: Ti-loculicidal capsule, about 4.0 cm long and 5 mm diameter;    between RHS 139B and RHS 141B as ripening.-   Seed: Flattened single-winged nutlet with swollen embryo at one end;    about 10 mm long, 3 mm wide and 1 mm thick at embryo; nearest RHS    202A.-   Disease resistance: The new plant has not shown any resistance to    pests and diseases common to Hostas. The plant grows best and shows    best coloration with plenty of moisture, adequate drainage and light    shade, but is able to tolerate some drought when mature and direct    sun without leaf burn when provided sufficient water. Hardiness at    least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and other disease resistance is    typical of that of other Hostas.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct ornamental plant cultivar named Hosta‘Wheee!’ as herein described and illustrated, comprising emerging shootswith broad intensely-sinuate bracts or intermediate leaves partiallyclasping and surrounding emerging shoots petioles and expanding leaves,with intensely-sinuate elliptic leaves having yellow margins, leaf bladecenters of light green, light lavender flowers on strongly erect scapessuitable as a potted plant, for the garden, and for cut flower or cutfoliage arrangements.